KKAddict127

Wow, been a very long time since I was active in this great community but I had to come back because I have a unique opportunity on my hands. In about three weeks I'll have a free day where I can head to pretty much any park between Belgium and Berlin. I figure this southwest Germany "corridor" of sorts of great parks is where I should head. I only have a portion of one day (have to be back in The Netherlands at the end of the day), so as much as I'd love to hit up Europa, Holiday Park, Tripsdrill, Klotten, and Phantasialand, I'll most likely need to pick one (MAYBE two if they're close). I'm mainly interested solely in the coasters, so I've been thinking I probably need to include Holiday Park in there. I've never been to any of these parks. And I need to use public transport, no car. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

Yeah, when I first mentioned this to my dad, his first reaction was, "WHAT?! You and 50 adults?!" I then proceeded to tell him that I wouldn't be the only one my age but he's still concerned for some reason. I know about how minors are pointed out at the beginning of the trip and the strict rules about giving us alcohol, and of course I'd never attempt any of that. He's just one of those people. I know everyone that goes on these trips are very nice people that love coasters and having fun with others. Edit - wow, that sounded really sappy. I apologize to everyone.

Okay, thanks a lot for the info. Now I just have to wait on the parents...

I just got around to biting the bullet and asking the parents. Originally the Texas trip was my top choice. However, I'm a little worried about how the cliques and groups may already be formed going into Texas after the Deep South trip...do you guys have any info on how many people my age (16-18) will be doing both trips vs. just Texas? If I'm lucky I may be able to do the Deep South too, although I've been to Dollywood, Carowinds, and SFOG (I really want to give Goliath a 2nd chance because my only ride on it, in the front row, was pretty much forceless) within the last two years.

It's a trip I've been meaning to take for a while. I'm an hour and 20 minute train ride from Manhattan, and with such a legendary coaster right there, I've been meaning to go there for a while. Finally, I was heading into the city to ride an amazing roller coaster and see a baseball game at a great stadium. And so begins... KKAddict Explores Coney Island My dad decided to be spontaneous this time. Just after lunch, he asked me if I wanted to head into Brooklyn that night. Train and baseball team schedules were checked, the subway map perused for the best route, and we were off on the 2:25 train from Middletown to New York Penn. An uneventful train ride and a doughnut stop later, we headed down to the depths of the subway tracks in NYP to wait for our F train for non-express service to Cycloneville. 20 minutes later, our beloved F train has yet to show up. A D train pulls up on the other side of the platform, and thanks to my uber-nerdy map skillz, I found that the D would bring us to a close station to the Cyclone, albeit a bit further than if we had gotten on the F. Fast forward. Standing, sometimes sitting, but most of the time standing on our why-is-this-taking-so-long subway ride into the depths of Brooklyn, my dad and I were anxiously wondering when our stop would be coming. My dad's map of the subway system was from 1999, so I couldn't trust it too much. Suddenly, the conductor of the subway comes on and tells us the next stop, Bay Parkway, would be the last stop on this train. We were wondering why too, since Coney was still a bit farther. Thankfully, we only waited a few more minutes for the next D train to take us to Coney. Still no idea why that D train had to stop at Bay. So we arrived at the Coney Island station. I must say, it's very nice. We walked a bit to the Cyclone, to find a short line to get tickets. At $6 for the first ride, my guess is they knew how great this coaster was when they made the price. We got our tickets, and winded through the short queue line that goes under the turnaround. There are high white fences seperating the switchbacks. Right before the station, there is a man there to collect our tickets. The line is short on the platform, and no gates either. A sign of the times, those gates are. Lights are flasing everywhere with signs that seem reminiscent of what Coney was in it's heyday. What a great sight to see. My dad checks his bag at the counter (great idea) between the exit and entrance stations. We get in line (or just the big blob that formed). The train rolled in from the exit station with the attendants riding the side of the train like a San Francisco cable car. As soon as the train stopped, yells of "Hurry up! Get in! Find a seat!" rang from the attendants. They made sure operations were quick and efficient and quick. In no time, my dad and I were strapped in to the 3rd row and with a push of the giant lever, we were rolling out of the station. I'm not about to describe the entire ride, but I can tell you that it isn't El Toro. It is by no means smooth, but it's rough in the good sense of the word. It isn't too unbearable, and it makes it feel like just like a classic wooden coaster should feel. Airtime was around, but I wouldn't find the true meaning of the word until later that night. Needless to say, I loved the 3rd row ride all the way until the train came to a full stop where the same attendants were waiting to scream "Re-rides, $4! Exit to the left! Hurry, out!" And by the way, those trains were extremely comfortable. And they ought to be, with the coaster their wheels run on. By that time, my dad was hurrying me to get over to Keyspan Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. It was 5:35, and the game started at 6. We could already see the stadium about a quarter full from our ride. We headed over there, my dad got his tickets from will call, and we were in. I've heard a lot of great things about this stadium. I loved the backdrop of the famous parachute tower and the rest of the amusement parks in left field. However, that's about where my pros on this staduim end. The concourse was too small, food wasn't too great, everything was crammed together and the atmosphere made it even worse. Between just about every pitch, there was some sort of song or sound effect or advertisement played over the PA system. It drove me crazy. And with a starting pitcher that worked as slow as molasses, that didn't help things out too much. Needless to say, I was happy when the final out was recorded for a Cyclones win. My dad and I took a few pictures of the parks over the left field wall and we were out. We headed back to the Cyclone again, just because we hadn't gotten enough the first time. The line to get tickets was much longer now that the game was out (around 9:15). However, jsut like in the station, they kept things moving. Two girls younger than me cut in front of us on our way from the ticket booth to the start of the line. The switchbacks were about 75% filled (albeit there are 2 of them if I remember right). The line was constantly moving, as operations were beyond mazing at this coaster. Tthe line cutters were quickly booted at the ticket-taker booth right before the station with faulty tickets. God, I love this place. My dad checked his bag once again, and we waited for the next train at the back. Again, "Hurry, find a seat, let's go" rang out. We hopped in the back row for our 2nd and last ride, and in the dark. We pulled out, and up the lift we went. And keep in mind, with a single lap bar across the row of two, they nowhere-near stapled me here. And of course, there are no seatbelts (like they existed in the '20s, pshhh) The first drop gave me a bit of a taste of what was to come. It felt like I was going to fall out. Sure, it was rougher here, but again in a good way. And with all of the constant insane drops on this ride, my legs kept getting bruised from banging into the restraint with the insane airtime. At some points, I'm sure it was a lot stronger than El Toro's. And of course, the laterals got just as insane. Thank you major padding. If you're looking for El Toro but with more twists and turns and a lot bit rougher, you've got your coaster right here. This is what I call a true classic wooden roller coaster. I couldn't believe what had happened to me. That had to be one of the most out-of-control, insane rides I've ever taken on a roller coaster. We pulled back into the station, however re-rides were not allowed due to the line. I walked to the exit, still bewildered, and headed into the subway station across the street. Again, a very nice one, and thankfully, the F came for us this time. We headed back to NYP via Washington Square transfer as we did getting there, and headed on the next train down the shore on NJT. It had been a great night (except for most portions of the baseball game), and I was still in amazement with the ride I had just taken (the roller coaster, not the train, idiot ) I hope I can head back up there in the near future to experience whatever the hell that was on Coney Island. It was just plain amazing.

I might've heard wrong, but I believe Neil Patrick Harris mentioned TPR during his opening speech at the Tony's last night. I was talking with my mom at the time, so I don't remember the context. I can't find any transcripts online, but if someone recorded it, you could check back to the beginning and see what he said. I'm not sure, and don't shoot me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I heard "Theme Park Review" in there.

Construction seems to be going along well, and the announced opening date is Friday, April 13. I doubt they would open it earlier even if construction was done. I'm sure they enjoy the publicity that such a ride was opened on a Friday the 13th.

The CA and FL versions are completely different. They were built in differently shaped buidlings (CA was built in the ET building, FL's in King Kong) so naturally the layouts differ. You can see a POV of the FL version And btw, yes, I am the "Steve" mentioned.

Santa Monica West Coaster at Pacific Park, just installed this year.

Yeah, is Manhattan Express any better since it got the Premier trains this past summer?

Heh, "gypsies". They seemed like the ultimate English snobs. Thorpe looks pretty nice. Great job on the video!

Nice PTR. My guess is Speed is the best coaster in Vegas? Or could it be the Dragon at good ol' Peter Piper Pizza? Yeah, I wish I could go over to Vegas, seems like an awesome place. I hope whatever the Stratosphere does to replace High Roller will be something amazing.

My uncle suggested they should have themed Scream to a taxi ride...maybe that would osmehow come close to justifying the parking lines... Having been on Medusa countless times and Scream twice, I can say Medusa (east) is definitely smoother, especially in the back. Scream just has this weird vibrating throughout the ride anywhewre you sit.

I would definitely reccomend SFMM over others. Cedar Point does have a better-than-average collection of coasters, but they are not as good as SFMM's. I won't do an all-out coaster by coaster comparison, but in general, IMO, SFMM's coasters are better. Sure, it may not be the cleanest run park, but I think they have gotten better in the last year or so. On my last visit last August, I found out that operations are not as bad as they are cracked up to be...well, except on Tatsu. Ride that first. I only had one ride on X back in 2004, and from what I remember, it was pretty fun. SFMM also has a ton more coasters meant to thrill. CP has a few thrilling coasters on SFMMs scale, but some/most are not. If you are looking for the most thrilling coasters, I would hit up SFMM.

Would it be possible to attach the file to your post? Streams don't work on my computer. thanks a lot, I've been following the comic forever, and it is great!

Hmmm, my thoughts exactly. I remember Will Koch saying something along the lines of the park liking wood coasters because they cater to the family the most...but hey, steel coasters can do that too! Unfortunately, now that they have the Voyage, it seems out and back coasters as well as twisters are covered at the park. It woud be interesting to see what they come up with if they do get a steel coaster in the future. A few inversions wouldn't hurt either!

Their Halloween event doesn't really look like it stacks up to some others...but hey, who needs to when you have other awesome things...

Geeze, and I thought I was insane for playing just 20 games. Looks like I have yet to get used to TPR insaneyness... I won aobut 12, lost or drew the rest. I have my secret moves that can most of the time win it in three moves.

Very nice job, HW! I'm sure they deserved the attendence they got. It seems like they have 3 kick-butt woodies. Add in awesome staff, clean bathrooms, and FREE PEPSI (!!! ), you have an awesome park. Hopefully, I'll be able to make it out there next year.

I've seen worse on some new flyers that may just so happen to be named Tatsu... Really, it depends on when you go. I've gone when there is virually no stacking, and wen you are on the brakerun for a solid 4-5 minutes. It really depends especially on how stupid riders can be. If they are have "unusual body types (or something like that ) and didn't use the test seat at the entrance, or if they screwed up when they pulled down the restraint when they clearly tell you to let the attendent do it. Most poor operations I have seen have been vecause of the riders, not the staff. I know they try hard. Oh, and IWantRevenge, if you run fast enough over to Ka, it won't be an hour wait.

Alright, it is my homepark, and I've developed a pretty simple plan that hasn't really ever let me down, and it doesn't involve a q-bot. The point of this plan is to give you short wait times by doing rides that get longer waits first. This is assuming you get there at opening, which is probably the most important thing to do if you go there, as lines are always shorter than they would be in mid-afternoon. 1. Run over to Kingda Ka. If it is broken down and they give you the usual "We are not sure how long the wait will be but you are welcome to stay in line blah blah blah" get out of line and go to Toro. If that is broken down to and they give you the same speech, I would go back over to Ka and wait there. Of course, you should set a limit for yourself. Your choice, but I wouldn't wait more than a half-hour, or else the Toro line will be huge by then. 2. OK, so assuming Ka was open and you rode, go over to Toro. The line may be pretty long, but if you just watch in awe through it, it'll go fast. 3. After Toro, walk over to Boardwalk. Ride Superman. 4. Walk over to Movietown. Ride Nitro. 5. Ride Batman. It still gets long lines later, even in its old age. 6. This one is optional. You can do Skull Mountain. If you do, sit in the backrow for maximum airtime down the first drop. Other than that, I could fall asleep on it. 7. On your way over to the other side of the park, hitch a ride on GASM. Most of the time, the line is right outside of the station. It isn't very popular anymore. I've heard a lot of reccomendations about where to sit on this one so you don't come off with a headache, but none of them have worked. Sorry I can't give you any advice on this. 8. Walk over to the other side of the park, and ride Medusa. I would go towards the back, it is a lot smoother. But for a true floorless feeling, take a ride in the front row. Roughness isn't unbearable there, but it is still a little noticeable. 9. If you want, you can take a ride on Runaway Mine Train, if you aren't too tall. 10. At this point, you have pretty much done every coaster in the park. Your day really depends on what you do with Toro and Ka early in the day. Again, go to Ka first. If it is closed, go to Toro. Unlikely, but if they are both closed, go back over to Ka. Surprisingly, it gets longer lines in the daytime, mostly due to the crappy capacity. Crowds are lightest before the summer season, before Memorial Day. After that, try to go on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but it might be moderately crowded. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays can be bad. If possible, go on a day where there is a forecast for possible rain. It scares off the crowds, and some coasters still run in the rain. The park starts doing weekend-only operation after August, so you can't really win there. Fright Fest days/nights are always crowded to the max. However, I have heard that Fridays during Fright Fest are not all that crowded, however I've never been there to see it for myself. Also, hours are limited on FF Fridays (5-11 PM I believe), so you have a little less time to do stuff. If possible, during your visit, try to stay after dark. Lines sometimes shorten, and you get to see some awesome lighting on a few rides. Rides to do at night are Toro and Nitro. You get an insane out-of-control feeling, especially on Nitro where there are no lights out there in the woods. Enjoy your day! If you have any questions, I (or anyone else) will be happy to answer.

It's kind of the opposite for sitdown B&Ms. While ther may be only immelmans on inverts, there are pretty much only dive loops on sitdowns. There is one exception however, which is Dæmonen at Tivoli Gardens. This floorless has an immelman. As far as I know, that is it. I'm not sure why, but that is how B&M works. Just for reference, people should know that dive loops are essentially the same thing as immelmans, execept they are traveled through in reverse direction. Edit: Turns out another immelman on a sitdown is on Wildfire at Silver Dollar City.

I get to see the failure of a minor-league baseball team play a game tomorrow (oh wait, they're on the playoffs? Cool!), I finally get to go to Hersheypark on Sunday, and go back to the Lakewood Blueclaws to see the last game of the season on Monday. Exciting, eh?

Thanks for the help, Robb! I guess seeing Guy kiss a frog is a price I have to pay for your service...

I took a trip out to LA last week, like I do every summer, to see my relatives out there. Traditionally, I have visited an amusement park every time. It started in December 2004 (one of my few trips to LA in the winter), when my coaster craze started. I headed out to the thrill capital of the area, SFMM. I had a great day, it had rained, so there was just about nobody anywhere. In August 2005, I hit up Knott's Berry Farm. Silver Bullet turned out to be a flop, and GhostRider just about broke both of my shoulders, but Xcelerator was the ride of the day. Now I'm back in '06, and a brandy-new flyer has opened on the mountain. I've been on two S:UF's, but I always get off wondering where the flying coaster concept could go. My prayers were answered on November 17th, 2005, when Tatsu was announced, and I knew my destination that summer. Now it was time. We started out at my grandfather's house in Van Nuys, and drove a little ways to pick up my uncle and cousin, who were staying in the area to see us. We promptly got on the 5, and arrived in the park at about 9:30, a half hour to opening. I got in with my GAdv SP, and I got my uncle, dad and cousin in for half off. Of course, the ticket takers first looked at it like it was in Japanese. A few minutes later after consulting with some other employees, they were in. We came in to see a huge gathering at the entrance, with someone with absolutely no enthusiasm dancing on a lifeguard chair. Already, being in the middle of the crowd, I could tell this doesn't draw the family demgraphic that GAdv does. The family thing just doesn't seem to be working here. They also do park opening differently than at GAdv. At 9:00, the GAdv people let you in a little bit into the park, past the security booths. They have a rope set up, and they let the rope down at opening, and security guards walk you to the ride of your choice (they used to let all hell break loose, I guess too many people got trampled). Here, they open the ticket booths, and let you in then. So if you are the first one in, you don't even need to run (unless someone behind you decides to). Sure makes it easier. OK, now that my rambling is done, I'll get on with my trip... EDIT: As with other Photo TR beginners, mine is posted backwards by mistake. Please scroll down to the end of my post and read up, thanks. Photo TR starts HERE!!! Welcome to Newark, NJ, the crown-jewel of New Jersey...really. That large towery-thing keeps planes intact. The view to my right for 5 hours. The view straight ahead of me for 5 hours. There was no big, colorful sign welcoming me to LA, so I had to take a picture of the baggage claim sign. Our car, the Chevy HHR. Guess what it stands for...I'll go with horribly horrendous roundabout. Of course, to alleviate the plane ride, I turn to a big ol' Carl's Jr. burger. After that, we drove over to my grandfather's house, and slept for the night. The next day would be...the day. I think the creativity part of my brain just went out the wind Ah yes, SFMM, home to cheaply-cloned parking lot coasters. The battle for the tram seats was more thrilling than any coaster I'll ever get on...I still have nightmares. My first ever big coaster lurks over that other crap-fest... The skyline has taken a change for the better... I figured out why these rides are still closed! The management ran out of magnetic material a few years back, so they opted for glue. Now, they can't get the rides off the board, so they remain closed. What they need is a crowbar... It beckons...*insert inspirational music here* Following a brisk walk up the mountain, it turns out I wasn't the only one who had heard of this new-fangled flying thingy... So if the speed of fear is 62 mph, then Superman's 100 must be the speed of stupidity. I wonder if that means "OMG, B&M is teh roxors!" in Japanese? Anyway, we took the far side of the station, and the total wait was about 25 minutes. Operations were horrible, I'll just leave it at that. I loved the ride, it was very unique and fun. It Following a very sad incident at SFOG a few weeks back involving Deja Vu (and a donkey), I had to get on it at SFMM, so that was our next destination after Tatsu. I named this picture Lord of the Breakdowns - The Two Towers. The line was about 15 minutes long, with okay dispatch times. Thankfully, it never broke down. It was a surprisingly good ride, but still had a lot of the Vekoma roughness. I guess Tatsu liked me, it kept poking through the bushes and saying hi... ah, descions, descions...I pick X! There was a bit of a challenge going on here in my family, my dad wanted to ride it again after he realized it was the only coaster he couldsn't comprehend, and my dad challenged my uncle to ride it after saying he woul Unfortunately, the line was about halfway up the bridge, a two hour wait. We heard someone come out, saying he got online at park opening, and it was noon now. Even family challenges aren't worth this, we decided to skip. But Tatsu kept saying hi to me, even from X. ¿Realmente? ¡Cómo excita! Flying at the speed of stupidity...no thanks. Ah yes, time to go back to my maiden voyage after seeing X overflow. We took a ride on Scream, the coaster that was never meant to be (and it was rougher than the original), and it was time for the big one. I love my Goliath! My uncle and cousin opted and here's a picture for all of you TPR-ers Goliath not just through a tree, but through a PALM tree! Whoo! Welcome to Goliath, and oh, please give me credit when you brag about your new desktop. Goliath was as awesome as ever, I loved it, and got on it twice due to the short line. They were running two trains, with no stacking. Next up, we met up with the uncle and cousin and hauled off to take on the Riddler's Revenge. Unfortunately, even when it has that awesome loop going through the lift, we wouldn't be able to ride. My body was having some heat exhaustion problems (it was VERY hot), so we had to get out of line, and we sat down for a while. Deciding that my body was in need of food, we took a trip to Food Etc. to get some of those awesome tacos for only $600. After that, I felt better. We walked around for a little while after that, so my body could heal. I got some good angles on Tatsu, including...through the support...if the support was see-through! Although I didn't get any pictures, I got two rides on Ninja after that, with a very short, one-train wait. It was getting close for leave time, but we walked down the mountain hoping to get on one more coaster. Goldrusher broke down during our wait tho I know there is a sheriff sub-station on the premises, but there seemed to be a more-than-usual amount of cop cars there. More gang problems? So much for the "family" atmosphere! 4 days later, we took a trip to the Santa Monica pier to get on their beach-side coaster, the Santa Monica West Coaster. Since my last visit last year, they re-painted most of it yellow, looks uglier, IMO. Still a very photogenic coaster. They use this park in all of the movies... The photos are posted in reverse! Start at the last photo and work up! And I leave you with a postcard-like view of the Pacific Ocean...thanks for reading!